Impact of a Psychoeducation Intervention on Stigma and Help seeking among African Americans: A Pretest and Posttest Study
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Authors
EABRON, TANESHA
Issue Date
2025-10
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
public stigma , self-stigma , help-seeking attitudes
Alternative Title
Abstract
Stigma is considered the most significant barrier to African Americans psychological treatment. Literature addressing stigma among African Americans is understudied and needed. Previous researchers have attempted to address stigma among African Americans via anti-stigma interventions, such as education-based programs aimed to educate and improve understanding and information about psychological health. The purpose of the pretest-posttest study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a psychoeducational-based intervention addressing African Americans' stigma towards mental health to help reduce stigma and increase their willingness to seek treatment. The results showed the psychoeducational based intervention reduced public stigma, self-stigma, and improved help-seeking attitudes. The mean scores for public stigma before the seminar (M = 14.71 SD = 7.95) and after the seminar (M =13.28, SD = 7.77);t(41)= -8.360, p = <.001 showed significant difference. The mean scores of self-stigma scale showed there was a significant difference in mean scores before the seminar on the aware scale (M = 23.57, SD = 10.41) and after the seminar (M=18.92, SD = 9.48); t(41)= -9.48, p = <.001, agree scale before the seminar (M=18.92, SD=11.78) and after the seminar (M=14.66, SD=9.46); t(41)=-7.280, p=<.001, apply scale before the seminar (M=18.50, SD=10.99) and after the seminar, and hurt scale scores before the seminar (M=18.39, SD=13.17) and after the seminar (M=13.59, SD=10.44); t(41)=-8.477, p=<.001. There was significant difference in mean scores for help-seeking before the seminar (M = 4.86, SD = 1.09) and after the seminar (M=5.13, SD = 1.02);t(41)= 5.296, p = <.001. Future research should focus on using a control group and post follow up group, examining help-seeking behaviors and self-stigma, and continuing to create and explore psychoeducational interventions that address mental health stigma among Black diasporas.